Clint at the RFK Tennis tournament - Forest Hills, New York City, August 27th 1977.

Clint at the RFK Tennis tournament - Forest Hills, New York City, August 27th 1977

Firstly, a bit of background information and some great rare photos. So, what were the RFK tournaments? The annual Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Tennis Tournament began at the West Side Tennis Club and carried on throughout the ’70s. It was a celebrity pro-am tournament that saw stars paired with professional male and female players in several tennis matches. Plenty of big Hollywood celebs made appearances at the event over the years. The purpose of the tournament was to raise money for RFK charity programs through entry costs. Both players and observers were charged, with celebrity entry costing $2,500 (over $10,000 by today’s standard) and observer entry costing anywhere between $5 and $100 (up to $480 by today’s standard). 

Below: The Proham for the 1977 event

As could be expected, a considerable number of Kennedy family members opened their schedules every year to attend the memorial for their late kin. Brothers and sisters of Robert, as well as nieces and nephews, gathered in the stands and laced up their tennis shoes to watch and to play as both celebrities and professionals rallied back and forth on the court.

Some notable members of the Kennedy clan that attended the event included Ethel, Ted, and Eunice Kennedy. Often spotted together while watching the tennis matches were John F. Kennedy Jr., Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Jackie Kennedy.

The stars were ready to grab their rackets

Considering it was a celebrity event; it’s no surprise that some of the biggest stars of the time made their appearances at the RFK Tennis Tournaments. Every year, viewers could spot a variety of actors, singers, models, and other entertainers in the stands and on the courts. Some names include Chevy Chase, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Clint Eastwood, Cheryl Tiegs, and many more.

Below: While the tennis tournament was for a good cause, many celebrities took the opportunity to flaunt their personal “tennis club” style, wearing preppy attire they would not be seen in otherwise. Some even decided to show off what they had going on underneath their clothes

Put a group of celebrities in a room together and they’re bound to socialize. Singers were seen shaking hands with politicians while athletes shared jokes with actors. It was a unique experience that put a lot of America’s most famous names in direct contact with one another, making for some pretty incredible photographs.

So, as this event took place almost exactly 48 years ago this month, I thought I would post a nice full set of 18 photos from this event. *The 18 negatives here are from my own personal collection; I have left the original watermarks on them from when I originally obtained the negatives. I know this is a slight distraction and takes away some of their charm, but unfortunately there are still people out there who continue to steal and use images simply in order to profit from them. I really don’t mind sharing However, I didn’t buy these so that other may earn money and profit from them. That just isn’t right. Many Thanks.